ANBU Anthem
by kisukebenihime
Summary: The anthem of a massacre. Rated M for death.


ANBU Anthem

(A/N: This is a quick little song-fiction that sprung up from out of nowhere. I swear on all that is Holy, I'm not crazy but this would not leave me alone. I felt so compelled to write this after talking to Rose. So, I thank you Rose for the inspiration on this one. The Song is "The Virus of Life" by Slipknot. Yes, another Slipknot song… deal with it. Rated M for death.)

~xxx~

The young ANBU sat with his hands on his knees as he waited for further instructions. Months, years, spying on his kin showed the young clan heir just how power-hungry his clan truly was. And it did not sit well with the thirteen-year-old. Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy among mere ninja and could people better than the highly skilled Morino Ibiki, so , as the greed became clearer to the young boy, so did the need to protect his village.

It is said that very ABNU had an anthem they lived by, fought for. Itachi had one, too. But as the growing rift between himself and his family, that anthem began to change. The man that sat before Itachi gave him a stern look, no room for error.

"Either you do this, for the sake of the village, or we will find someone else who will." Danzo said, the graveness and severity of the situation. The statement brought the teenager from his musings.

"There will be no one else. It is my duty to complete this mission." Itachi said, his monotone held a dangerous edge to it as he stared blankly at the Elder and ROOT commander before him.

"Very well." Danzo sighed and reached for a scroll on the end of the table. "This is your final mission, Itachi-san. God speed." The teenaged Uchiha took the scroll without hesitation and left.

~xxx~

Darkness surrounded the ANBU as he dressed for battle. There would be no turning back after this night. His mission, his final mission as a shinobi of Konoha, would be carried out tonight. As the clan readied for the night, he would strike; deadly and efficient, like they had groomed him to be. And, all the while, his anthem reverberated in the hallowed walls of the Uchiha compound.

_I can see you but you can't see me_

_I could touch you and you wouldn't even feel me_

_Wait a second and you'll calm down_

_I'm just waiting, 'til you really let your guard down_

The first house he crept into was that of a young, distant cousin. She was asleep in bed, hair askew as she dreamt. She gave a soft cry, barely audible in the quiet night, as the blade of Itachi's katana pierced her heart. Megumi, his cousin, was just a month younger than Sasuke.

Itachi continued to carry out his mission with the acuity of a lion on the hunt, the stealth of a leopard and the cunning of a fox. He was the best, the brightest of his clan… and he was murdering them for the sake of the village. As the blood of his kin spilled as he leapt from house to house, dispatching the 'enemy', Itachi felt a little bit of himself die with them. But he must continue.

_You're relaxed, you're sublime, you're amazing_

_You don't ever know the danger you're facing_

_If I'm quiet, I'll slide up behind you_

_And if you hear me, I'll enjoy trying to find you_

Senbon littered the streets, bodies lie bleeding on the ground, all dead before they hit the earth. Fugaku had always harked on and on about Itachi's precise movements and perfect aim; it served Itachi well as his kin fell. Some surprised, some unknowing but they were all dead. A shuriken flew easily with a flick of his wrist, cutting down a distant relative trying to run from the inevitable. Impossible. No one would survive this night. It was destined to end this way. The Uchiha clan dug its own grave; Itachi was simply putting bodies in their places.

_I've been with you all day_

_I'm trying to stay calm_

_I'm impatient and it's really hard to breath_

_I'm going to empty you, and fill you in with me_

His parents had been the next to go. Unaware of the happenings outside, Fugaku and Mikoto sat drinking tea as Itachi slid into view. There wasn't a speck of blood on this clothing, despite the number of clan members he had just dispatched with the katana he held in their full view.

_Just keep the violence down_

_Not yet - don't make a sound_

_Oh God I'm feeling it_

_It's reaching fever pitch_

_My skin is caving in_

_My heart is driving out_

_No mercy, no remorse_

_Let nature take it's course_

Neither of his parents said a word as they sat their an waited. With one, clean sweep of his katana, his parents were no more. Just like the rest, they fell for the village. But there was work to be done, more of his kin to annihilate.

_Watching - Bring me to my knees_

_Waiting - I am your disease_

_Lover - set my symptoms free_

_Covered - you won't fee a thing_

_You can't feel a thing_

As the ANBU moved on, he noticed something… his younger brother was not there.

_(shh, wait, shh, no, wait, wait, no, shh, wait, wait, not yet, no, wait, wait)_

Sasuke was still at school, the thought occurred to Itachi as another uncle fell by the blade. The man had been foolish enough to try and fight the prodigy. Big mistake. The man was unsuccessful in alerting others to the goings on as the teenager continued forward, unperturbed by the notion that they would not see the coming dawn.

_I'm sweating through my veins_

_I'm trying to hold on_

_It's unbearable, it's almost worse for me_

_I'm gonna tear you apart and make you see_

_MAKE YOU SEE!_

Sasuke had returned, running through the main gates of the compound, not noticing the first signs for distress. Broken shutters, blood stained walls and the hand jutting out from an open door. Unknowing of the haunting crimson stare of his Aniki.

_Watching - Bring me to my knees_

_Waiting - I am your disease_

_Lover - set my symptom free_

_Covered - you won't feel a thing_

It wasn't until Sasuke turned the corner that he noticed the horrible deed done on this night. Bodies. Bloody bodies spread across the streets. It was as if time had stopped. The skies seemed to darken to crimson and the clouds rolled backwards as if rewinding at video tape. Aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members walked along as if nothing were wrong. And then, things started to go wrong; horribly wrong. One by one, the dominos started to fall, some crying out and others simply fell but the end was the same; death. The ANBU's anthem marched on as Sasuke ran to his home.

_This is the virus_

_THE VIRUS OF LIFE_

_This is inside us_

_The crisis, the knife_

_This is the virus_

_The virus of lifeT_

_his is inside us_

_The crisis, the knife_

What he found only stunned the poor, unsuspecting boy to his very soul. His nii-san, the older boy he loved, trusted, had killed his parents. His own parents had not been spared by his brothers' apparent madness.

_It's almost time to play_

_It's time to be afraid_

_I can't control the pain_

_I can't control in vain_

_Oh God I'm ready now_

_You're almost ready now_

_I'm gonna love you now_

_I'm gonna break put you down_

"Why, nii-san? Why did you kill them? All of them?" the youngest living Uchiha asked as he gasped for air. He had been tortured by visions. Visions that no child should have to witness. The death of their parents, friends, aunts and uncles, countless numbers of kin… all in one night.

"To test my ability." Came Itachi's reply, his monotone betrayed nothing nor did the crimson gaze that taunted the young boy.

_I see you in the dark_

_I see you all the way_

_I see you in the light_

_I see you plain as day_

"Run Sasuke. Cling to life. Hate me, detest me…" the words echoed in the quiet room as did the heavy breathing of the boy on the floor. "Let your hatred of me fuel you."

_I wanna touch your face_

_I wanna touch your soul_

_I wanna wear your face_

_I wanna burn your soul_

It hurt. Despite his constant control over his emotions, Itachi could not deny the pang in his chest he felt as Sasuke ran after him, throwing kunai in an attempted to harm him. That mask, the beautiful mask of innocence Sasuke once wore was now a mask of hatred.

_Watching - Bring me to my knees_

_Waiting - I am your disease_

_Lover - Set my symptom free_

_Covered - You can't love me_

There was no more Uchiha clan. It had been destroyed in a single night by the hand of it's most talented of kin. Once again the Mangekyou spun, sending Sasuke into a world of endless nightmares.

_This is the virus, the virus of life_

_This is inside us, THE CRISIS, THE KNIFE_

_This is the virus, the virus of life_

_This is inside us, THE CRISIS, THE KNIFE_

For the good of the village an entire clan had been wiped off the face of the earth by one of it's own.

_THIS IS THE VIRUS, THE VIRUS OF LIFE!_

_THIS IS THE VIRUS, THE VIRUS OF LIFE!_

_THIS IS THE VIRUS, THE VIRUS OF LIFE!_

_THIS IS THE VIRUS, THE VIRUS OF LIFE!_

"I'm sorry Sasuke…" Itachi whispered to the wind. "There won't be a next time." The anthem would never again play for Uchiha Itachi. There is no longer a need for it.

(A/N: Thank you and good night. Review please. I would love to know what you think.)


End file.
